At the MHSAA Swimming Championships in Tupelo, hundreds of the best swimmers in Mississippi competed for the title of state champion. There were thousands of spectators watching one of Mississippi’s most spectacular championships ever. With more and more swimmers entering the highly competitive sport and competition growing more competitive, medals were even more difficult to acquire.
NCHS went to state with the youngest team in the state. Despite their lack of experience for many of the swimmers on the team, they performed heroically. NCHS had one experienced swimmer who had exceptional performances in the individual swims. Team captain Ashlee McCall medaled in both of her races!
The first medal came in the 50 yd Freestyle. After the preliminary swim in the morning, McCall was seeded 4th going into finals. Her prelim time was McCall’s best time ever. In finals, McCall cut even more time and brought home the Bronze.
The most exciting swim of the night for NCHS was the 100 yd Breaststroke. After prelims, McCall was seeded 3rd, which was also a personal best time for McCall. McCall, determined to bring home yet another medal, took her final swim out fast. The top seed won the race, but the battle for 2nd was epic.
Fighting with McCall for 2nd was a swimmer that had already beaten McCall twice before by 0.1 seconds. At finals, it was too close to call coming into the final wall. This race came down to the final touch. McCall had prepared for this race and practiced the finish dozens of times in training, and it paid off. McCall executed a perfect finish and propelled herself 0.28 seconds in front of her competitor, taking the Silver. The roar of the crowed was deafening. If McCall had been Class II instead of Class I, she would have won Gold.
Other high-ranking swims at this meet were Mason Cheatham who finished 4th in the 200 yd IM and 5th in the 500 yd Freestyle. Also in 5th was the Girls 400 yd Freestyle and the Girls 200 yd Medley Relays (McCall, Rhaley Easley, Edie Pippin, and Erin Tullos).
In 6th place was Edie Pippin in the 200 yd IM.
In 7th place was the Boys 200 yd Medley Relay (Maddux Cheatham, Easton Baker, Mason Cheatham, and Gage Barnett) which was a new NCHS swimming record.
In 9th place was the Girls 200 yd Freestyle Relay (Easley, Tullos, Shana Johnson, and Abbie Johnson).
In 10th place was Barnett in the 200 yd Freestyle and Easley in the 100 yd Butterfly.
In 12th place was Mary Lee Gregory in the 100 yd Breaststroke and Maddux Cheatham in the 200 yd Freestyle.
In 13th place was Edie Pippin in the 100 yd Breaststroke and Maddux Cheatham in the 100 yd Backstroke.
In 15th place was Tullos in the 100 yd Backstroke, an incredible swim for someone who just started competitive swim only months ago.
The meet itself brought in over $100,000 for the hosts and local businesses (hotels, dining and other entertainment).
